Overview

• Ward, 43, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of assault with an act of indecency and one count of sexual intercourse without consent dating from 2013 and 2015.
• The alleged 24-year-old victim was cross-examined in Downing Centre District Court over Facebook messages sent months after the 2015 incident in which he called Ward “love” and “dear.”
• Defense barrister David Campbell SC argued that the friendly tone of the texts undermines the complainant’s claim that he felt uncomfortable after the alleged assault.
• The witness told the court that he routinely uses terms of endearment and was likely “overcompensating” even as he felt anxious and “looked over his shoulder.”
• Presided over by Judge Kara Shead, the estimated four-week trial is in its second week with further cross-examination scheduled to resume this week.